barm

barm · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*bʰer-“to bear”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*barmaz“lap; bosom”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*barm
4. Old English · inherited frombearm“lap; bosom”
5. Middle English · inherited frombarm
6. English todaybarm

From Middle English barm, barme, berm, bearm, from Old English bearm (“lap; bosom”), from Proto-West Germanic *barm, from Proto-Germanic *barmaz (“lap; bosom”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear”). Cognate with German Barm (“lap; bosom”).

barm · noun²

1. Irish · derived frombairín breac
2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*bermō“yeast; barm”
3. Old English · inherited frombeorma
4. Middle English · inherited fromberme
5. English todaybarm

From Middle English berme, berm, from Old English beorma, from Proto-West Germanic *bermō (“yeast; barm”); related to the dialectal Low German Bärm (“yeast”), from Middle Low German barm, berm. The cake sense is possibly a shortened form of barmcake, which would be made with yeast as described in that sense, or possibly it is from the Irish bairín breac, a type of bread.

barm · verb³

1. Middle English · inherited frombermen
2. English todaybarm

From Middle English bermen, from the noun (see above).

Words from the same roots